Happy Holidays from Neal
Welcome to the strangest holiday season ever. Santa Claus in an N95 mask. Socially distanced Christmas ornaments. Even the lumps of coal the naughty kids get have to be disinfected. Okay, enough of that—I could go on and on, but I can already hear you groaning. “It is what it is” is one of the dumbest expressions around, but it applies. (By the way, am I the only one who notices that “This is the way,” is basically Mandalorian for “It is what it is?”)
In spite of the rising numbers of this pandemic, I want to focus on the things we can be thankful for this holiday season, and yes, there are plenty of things. Here are some of the things I’m thankful for.
Since March, I have basically been in quarantine with my daughter Erin. She attends the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). But their classes are all online now. I am grateful that I am getting to spend so much quality time with her. I cook all our meals, and we play board games every night. We paint together, binge movies and TV. Even though I can’t wait for this pandemic to be over, I will miss the time we’ve had together.
I am grateful that the rest of my kids are healthy. My son Brendan is teaching in Thailand—where the virus never took hold. Joelle and Jarrod are living in SoCal with their respective significant others, and doing well through all of this. Several of us get together on Saturday morning virtually to play D&D. It’s a way to stay connected, and not feel so far away.
I am grateful that we’ve come up with vaccines faster than any vaccine in human history, and that they are 95% effective.
I have to say that I am immensely grateful that responsibility, honesty, and integrity are returning to the White House in January. Regardless of politics or party, we need that.
I am grateful for all the steps that are being taken—and will continue to be taken—to weed out institutional racism in our society. We’re not there yet, but every step forward is a victory. We need to keep up that fight.
I am grateful for doctors, nurses, and all the other front-line workers battling COVID. They are heroes who deserve our support and admiration.
Continue reading—and find film and TV updates, a reading from my upcoming book Game Changer, and much more—in the latest Shustermania newsletter.